ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Renee Martin's four-year-old daughter Carmen will be starting Pre-K next week at Dover Elementary School in North. Like many parents, Martin says she's worried about sending her baby girl off to school while COVID-19 cases are on the uptick again.
"I'm excited, but at the same time, scared because of the virus still," Martin said. "With her age group, they're not vaccinated yet."
Before Orangeburg County School District starts school on August 16th, board members updated the back-to-school plan in Tuesday's board meeting.
A notable change to the plan was new mask guidance. The school district now requires students and employees to wear masks on school buses and in health care areas. Also, visitors will be required to wear masks to enter buildings.
"The Proviso 1.108 does not apply to visitors," explained Superintendent Dr. Shawn Foster. It specifically states students and employees are not mandated to wear masks. After checking with governmental affairs with the State Department of Education, a school bus does not qualify as a school facility. That means we will require all students to wear a mask."
Students and employees are not required to wear masks inside their respected schools under the regulation of the South Carolina Department of Education. However, the district's superintendent is strongly encouraging that they do.
"I employ our parents to send their child with a mask and allow them to wear a mask," Foster said. "All the health care experts say that wearing a mask will help slow the spread of the virus.
"She is going to wear her mask because I don't want her to get sick," said Martin.
Foster says that school districts have to update their safety plan every six months for the SC Department of Education. Orangeburg County's plan is subject to change.
Also, during Tuesday's school board meeting, board members approved incentivizing district employees with $200 checks to get vaccinated or if they already got the shot. Employees must show proof that they have been fully vaccinated to receive the checks. Employees who are not vaccinated have until October 18th to be fully vaccinated to get the $200. The checks are supposed to help more than 1,900 employees, and the money comes from CARE funds. Foster says the incentive is to boost herd immunity.